Okay, so let's just get this out of the way (and this time, that statement actually means something entirely different than it has for the past month, though it's related, especially concerning the events of the issue): my theory as to Supernova's identity is Bloodwynd. I love Bloodwynd, would love to see him again. And Bloodwynd knows Booster Gold. Anyhoo...
This week is the crucial fifteenth week, not that the fifteenth week itself means anything, but it's perhaps the most famous cover of 52, and has been for months now. I referenced it in a review a while ago. It's the one with Booster's goggles on it. On the final cover, it even has a headline attributed to Clark Kent: "His Last Battle." Could you get more dramatic than that? This arc has been leading to this from the start, well before Supernova appeared, but that debut proved to be a catalyst. Booster's quest to become the new Metropolis Marvel fell apart just as Supernova burst into town, and finally, we have the reckoning.
Even those who've become annoyed with the arc (it seems there's no shortage of that, but readers read on, because there're so many arcs) should be paying attention this week. In some ways, it's an event on level with the fate of Ted Kord, a mirror with how things've turned out with Ralph Dibney; this is not the end of it, even if it seems like it is, because we know there's more to it than how things have thus far turned out. Booster, like his friend, was becoming embroiled in a mystery, and Supernova's tale is only beginning, too. The least of why we know it's not the end is because we're not even halfway through yet.
Perhaps the underdog element of the arc continues to be Clark Kent's role in it. The reader is fully aware of who he is, and what his feelings must be in all this, and as we delve deeper into it, his interests can only become deeper, too. He remains the element to keep an eye on, while Supernova comes across as a fully-established entity in the city, which bodes well for his own future. Or not, if he doesn't learn from Booster...
Meanwhile Renee and Charlie are still deep within the mess of Kahndaq. Last issue left them in dire straits, and we find them no better this week, though they're heroes, so they make the most of it in an interlude sequence of four pages. Steel receives the bio treatment to round out the issue, courtesy of Waid and co-creator Jon Bogdanove (who's sorely missed in comics). The interesting thing is that the events of 52 are treated not as ongoing developments but as another step in his heroic quest. For the reader, we're still getting to that point. For the company, let's just say this book is already being listed among his essential storylines. So you can imagine how much more is in store for Steel in the coming weeks... |
